Devils land Connor Hellebuyck in a six-piece trade

Connor Hellebuyck is a New Jersey Devil. The team confirmed Friday that it acquired the three-time Vezina Trophy winner from Winnipeg for four players and two draft picks.

The Jets receive forwards Dawson Mercer, Nick Bjugstad and Alexander Command, goaltender Nico Daws, New Jersey's 2029 second-round pick and its 2027 seventh-round selection.

Hellebuyck, 33, is in the third year of a seven-year, $59.5 million contract that runs through 2030-31, according to the Devils. The listed average annual value is $8.5 million. The release does not specify salary retention or pick conditions, and those should not be assumed.

ESPN's Emily Kaplan first reported advanced talks and then the acquisition. New Jersey's announcement supplies the part that was missing from the early report: what Winnipeg receives.

A new crease, a changed roster

The attraction for the Devils is clear. A goalie with Hellebuyck's record offers the possibility of changing a playoff series. But the price is not confined to a distant draft. Mercer and Bjugstad are leaving the forward group, and Daws is leaving the goaltending picture. Command and the picks are part of the longer-term cost.

That makes the right test broader than whether Hellebuyck is the best-known player in the transaction. New Jersey has to turn his presence into better team results while accounting for the players it surrendered. The crease and the skaters in front of it cannot be evaluated separately.

For Winnipeg, the return spreads across several positions and future selections instead of replacing one star with another. Whether that balance proves worthwhile will depend on what those players become and how the picks are used. Six pieces describe the exchange, not a verdict on its value.

The Devils have made a consequential commitment to their present and their next several seasons. The trade announcement does not give a date for Hellebuyck's first start for New Jersey.